The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 26 member states that are located primarily in Europe. Its members have a combined area of 4,233,262 km2 (1,634,472 sq mi) and an estimated total population of about 447 million. The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where members have agreed to act as one. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market; enact legislation in justice and home affairs; and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Passport controls have been abolished for travel within the Schengen Area. A monetary union was established in 1999, coming into full force in 2002, and is composed of 19 EU member states which use the euro currency. The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity (without precedent or comparison).
The EU and European citizenship were established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force in 1993. The EU traces its origins to the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), established, respectively, by the 1951 Treaty of Paris and 1957 Treaty of Rome. The original members of what came to be known as the European Communities were the Inner Six: Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and West Germany. The Communities and their successors have grown in size by the accession of new member states and in power by the addition of policy areas to their remit. The latest major amendment to the constitutional basis of the EU, the Treaty of Lisbon, came into force in 2009.
Containing some ____% of the world population in 2020, the EU had generated a nominal gross domestic product (GDP) of around US$_____ trillion in 2019, constituting approximately _____% of global nominal GDP. Additionally, all EU countries have a very high Human Development Index according to the United Nations Development Programme. In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Through the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the union has developed a role in external relations and defence. It maintains permanent diplomatic missions throughout the world and represents itself at the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, the G7 and the G20. Due to its global influence, the European Union has been described by some scholars as an emerging superpower.
Member states[]
Through successive enlargements, the European Union has grown from the six founding states (Belgium, France, West Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands) to the current __. Countries accede to the union by becoming party to the founding treaties, thereby subjecting themselves to the privileges and obligations of EU membership. This entails a partial delegation of sovereignty to the institutions in return for representation within those institutions, a practice often referred to as "pooling of sovereignty".
To become a member, a country must meet the Copenhagen criteria, defined at the 1993 meeting of the European Council in Copenhagen. These require a stable democracy that respects human rights and the rule of law; a functioning market economy; and the acceptance of the obligations of membership, including EU law. Evaluation of a country's fulfilment of the criteria is the responsibility of the European Council. Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty provides the basis for a member to leave the Union. One territory have left the Union: Greenland (an autonomous province of Denmark) withdrew in 1985.
There are six countries that are recognised as candidates for membership: Albania, Iceland, and Turkey, though Iceland suspended negotiations in 2013. The four countries forming the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) are not EU members, but have partly committed to the EU's economy and regulations: Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, which are a part of the single market through the European Economic Area, and Switzerland, which has similar ties through bilateral treaties. The relationships of the European microstates, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City include the use of the euro and other areas of co-operation.
| State | Capital | Accession | Population (2019) | Area | Population density | Currency | MEPs | Head of State | Head of Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Austria
|
Vienna | 1 January 1995 | 8,858,775 | 83,855 km2 (32,377 sq mi) |
106/km2 (270/sq mi) |
Euro | 18 | Alexander Van der Bellen | Sebastian Kurz |
 Belgium
|
Brussels | Founder | 11,467,923 | 30,528 km2 (11,787 sq mi) |
376/km2 (970/sq mi) |
Euro | 21 | Philippe | Alexander De Croo |
 Bulgaria
|
Sofia | 1 January 2007 | 7,000,039 | 110,994 km2 (42,855 sq mi) |
63/km2 (160/sq mi) |
Bulgarian lev |
17 | Rumen Radev | Boyko Borisov |
 Cyprus
|
Nicosia | 1 May 2004 | 875,898 | 9,251 km2 (3,572 sq mi) |
95/km2 (250/sq mi) |
Euro | 6 | Nicos Anastasiades | |
 Czechoslovakia
|
Prague | 1 January 1995 | 10,649,800 | 78,866 km2 (30,450 sq mi) |
135/km2 (350/sq mi) |
Czechoslovak koruna |
26 | Zuzana Čaputová | Robert Fico |
 Denmark
|
Copenhagen | 1 January 1973 | 5,806,081 | 43,075 km2 (16,631 sq mi) |
135/km2 (350/sq mi) |
Danish krone |
13 | Margrethe II | Mette Frederiksen |
 Estonia
|
Tallinn | 1 May 2004 | 1,324,820 | 45,227 km2 (17,462 sq mi) |
29/km2 (75/sq mi) |
Euro | 6 | Kersti Kaljulaid | Jüri Ratas |
 Finland
|
Helsinki | 1 January 1995 | 5,730,772 | 349,889 km2 (135,093 sq mi) |
16/km2 (41/sq mi) |
Euro | 13 | Sauli Niinistö | Sanna Marin |
 France
|
Paris | Founder | 67,028,048 | 640,679 km2 (247,368 sq mi) |
105/km2 (270/sq mi) |
Euro | 74 | Emmanuel Macron | Jean Castex |
| Template:Country data Germany Germany | Berlin | Founder | 86,573,684 | 425,019 km2 (164,101 sq mi) |
204/km2 (530/sq mi) |
Euro | 96 | Frank-Walter Steinmeier | Angela Merkel |
 Greece
|
Athens | 1 January 1981 | 10722287 | 131,990 km2 (50,960 sq mi) |
81/km2 (210/sq mi) |
Euro | 21 | Katerina Sakellaropoulou | Kyriakos Mitsotakis |
 Hungary
|
Budapest | 1 May 2004 | 9,797,561 | 93,030 km2 (35,920 sq mi) |
105/km2 (270/sq mi) |
Hungarian forint |
21 | János Áder | Viktor Orbán |
 Ireland
|
Dublin | 1 January 1973 | 4,904,226 | 70,273 km2 (27,133 sq mi) |
70/km2 (180/sq mi) |
Euro | 11 | Michael D. Higgins | Micheál Martin |
 Italy
|
Rome | Founder | 60359546 | 301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi) |
200/km2 (520/sq mi) |
Euro | 73 | Sergio Mattarella | Matteo Renzi |
 Latvia
|
Riga | 1 May 2004 | 1,919,968 | 64,589 km2 (24,938 sq mi) |
30/km2 (78/sq mi) |
Euro | 8 | Egils Levits | Krišjānis Kariņš |
 Lithuania
|
Vilnius | 1 May 2004 | 2,794,184 | 65,200 km2 (25,200 sq mi) |
43/km2 (110/sq mi) |
Euro | 11 | Gitanas Nausėda | Ingrida Šimonytė |
 Luxembourg
|
Luxembourg City | Founder | 613,894 | 2,586 km2 (998 sq mi) |
237/km2 (610/sq mi) |
Euro | 6 | Henri | Xavier Bettel |
 Malta
|
Valletta | 1 May 2004 | 493,559 | 316 km2 (122 sq mi) |
1,562/km2 (4,050/sq mi) |
Euro | 6 | George Vella | Robert Abela |
 Netherlands
|
Amsterdam | Founder | 17,282,163 | 41,543 km2 (16,040 sq mi) |
416/km2 (1,080/sq mi) |
Euro | 26 | Willem-Alexander | Mark Rutte |
 Poland
|
Warsaw | 1 May 2004 | 34,972,812 | 264,932 km2 (102,291 sq mi) |
132/km2 (340/sq mi) |
Polish złoty |
46 | Andrzej Duda | Jarosław Kaczyński |
 Portugal
|
Lisbon | 1 January 1986 | 10,276,617 | 92,390 km2 (35,670 sq mi) |
111/km2 (290/sq mi) |
Euro | 21 | Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa | António Costa |
 Romania
|
Bucharest | 1 January 2007 | 21,958,422 | 268,080 km2 (103,510 sq mi) |
82/km2 (210/sq mi) |
Romanian leu |
32 | Klaus Iohannis | Florin Cîțu |
 Spain
|
Madrid | 1 January 1986 | 46,934,632 | 504,030 km2 (194,610 sq mi) |
93/km2 (240/sq mi) |
Euro | 54 | Felipe VI | Pedro Sánchez |
 Sweden
|
Stockholm | 1 January 1995 | 10,230,185 | 449,964 km2 (173,732 sq mi) |
23/km2 (60/sq mi) |
Swedish kronor |
20 | Carl XVI Gustaf | Stefan Löfven |
 United Kingdom
|
London | 1 January 1973 | 67,886,004 | 242,495 km2 (93,628 sq mi) |
280/km2 (730/sq mi) |
Pound sterling | 73 | Elizabeth II | David Cameron |
 Yugoslavia
|
Belgrade | 1 January 2007 | 10,230,185 | 449,964 km2 (173,732 sq mi) |
23/km2 (60/sq mi) |
Yugoslav dinar |
32 | Aleksandar Vučić | Ana Brnabić |
| 26 total | 4,233,262 km2 (1,634,472 sq mi) |
106/km2 (270/sq mi) |
751 | ||||||